that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do
wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them
up, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you
(he says) that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with
healing in his wings; and you shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Mal. 4:1,2.
Behold, my dear wife, what a difference there is between them that fear
God, and those that fear him not. For as the apostle Paul says to the
Thessalonians, in his second epistle, in the first chapter: When the
Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that
obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of his power, where the fire shall not be quenched, and their
worm shall not die; but the smoke of their torment shall ascend forever
and ever. Mark 9:44; Rev. 14:11.
Behold, this shall be their reward. Rom. 6:23. But they that fear God,
love him, and keep his commandments, according to their weakness;
their reward shall be life and peace, as the Scriptures sufficiently
testify. And Paul, also, says that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9.
Herewith I will draw to a close with my discourse, and commend you
to the Almighty Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob, who has given you to me, and, as said before, placed
me as a head, to feed and nourish you as my own flesh, which I have
done according to my weakness, during the time that I have been with
you. And now that I am taken from you, I commend you, my dearest wife
and sister in the Lord, to the God of peace, who has given you to me;
humbly praying him, through Jesus Christ, his dear and much beloved
Son, that he would keep you, and my two little lambs, always in his
truth, unto the end. And also you, my dear wife, I pray you in all
sincerity, to do the best for my two little children, as I trust you
will do. O that it pleased the Lord, I would so gladly do my best for
you yet. My most beloved, I have heard that you sent me a letter; but
I did not receive it; hence if you want to send me word in regard to
anything, speak to N., and ask her whether she knows of any one that
would come to the common prison, and ask for the brother-in-law, in
the fuller’s house. For we trust that if you can prudently give it
into his hand there, we shall get it; hence act circumspectly in this
matter, and do not send it without speaking to the rest; that it may go
through at once and attract the less notice. For we have been greatly
distressed on account of a letter that came in from without; in which
stood that they had received two of our letters. This letter fell into
the hands of the jailer, who seemed beside himself that we had written.
Therefore, my dearest love, when you want to write me something, write
not that you received a letter from me; but if you have received this
letter from me, and send me another, place under your letter the sign
that will stand under this; thereby I shall know that you received my
letter. And if you speak to my brother, greet him much from me, and
tell him to enter with Noah into the ark, lest the flood come upon
him, which is the wrath of God; and to go with Lot out of Sodom, and
not to look back, like Lot’s wife, who became an example to those who
in future times should commit ungodliness; for Christ says: “No man,
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62. Hereby greet him much in my name, and greet
all those who inquire after me, especially him who was my master, and
my country-man and his wife, and the woman who the day before was at
our house, and, also, my most beloved, whom I know upon earth, yea, who
is as dear to me as my own life; for my natural life was not near so
dear to me; this the Lord knows, who is rich in mercy.
O my beloved, I commend you, and all them that fear God, to the Lord,
and to the word of his grace. Amen.
Written by me, JAN VAN HASEBROECK,
Your husband and weak brother in Christ.
THE SECOND LETTER OF JAN VAN HASEBROECK.
Abundant grace and peace be with you from God the heavenly Father,
through Jesus Christ, his dear and much beloved Son, our Lord, through
whom we expect our salvation; may he by his Spirit confirm, strengthen,
and comfort you in all your tribulation and temptation, outward and
inward, that you may be able to stand firm and immovable in his truth,
to the end of your life, to his praise, and to the salvation of your
soul; this I wish you, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the
Lord, as a friendly greeting and adieu in Christ Jesus. Amen.
After all heartfelt greetings, my dear and much beloved wife, be
pleased to know, that I am still reasonably well according to the
flesh, the Lord be praised forever for his grace; and my mind is always
ready yet to go on in what I declared and confessed before the rulers
of the darkness of this world; and I trust by the grace of the Lord
to seal the same with my blood and death, so that I unworthy one may
obtain the promise, where he says: “Whosoever shall lose his life for
my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it; and whosoever shall
confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which
is in heaven.” Mark 8:35; Matthew 10:32. Therefore, my most beloved
love, be of good cheer, and always comfort yourself, and be comforted
with the words of the Lord; and do not grieve too much on account of
the work and will of the Lord, for he worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will (Eph. 1:11), and no one has ever been the
Lord’s counselor. Hence, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in
the Lord, though we have had little joy with each other during the time
that the Lord has joined us together, and must now part with sorrow,
we know that the Lord has promised us nothing here but tribulation and
sorrow, as Christ said to his disciples: Ye shall weep and lament, but
the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow
shall be turned into joy. John 16:20. Christ also says: “In the world
ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the
world” v. 33. He further says: “Blessed are they that weep now: for
they shall laugh; but woe unto them that laugh now: for they shall
weep.” Luke 6:21,25. Again, in another place he says: “Blessed are they
that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Thus, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, comfort
yourself with these beautiful words and promises of Christ, which
partly also belong to you; for in that you are sorry, you are sorry
after a godly manner. And Paul says, that godly sorrow worketh
repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of this
world worketh death. 2 Cor. 7:9,10.
O my dear wife, Paul, in another place, further says, that our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things
which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are
eternal. 2 Cor. 4:17,18. And the sufferings of this present time are
not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom. 8:18. For the apostle says, that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9. Therefore, my dear and
much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, since we have such beautiful
promises for this little and temporal suffering, be of good cheer, and
always patient in your tribulation and temporal sufferings, continuing
instant in prayer, patient in hope (Rom. 12:12), and wait for the time
of your redemption with long suffering. I trust by the grace of the
Lord to be an example and pattern to you, and to leap by my God over
a wall (Ps. 18:29), to go to meet Christ, my bridegroom, as he has
commanded me (Matthew 25:1); and also to go and await you under the
altar of the Lord, where all God’s elect shall rest, until the number
of their fellow brethren that must yet be killed for the testimony of
Jesus, like we, is fulfilled. Rev. 6:9,11.
Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, always
wait with patience for the Lord your God, as did the wise virgins,
who had oil in their vessels; and were ready to go in with their
bridegroom, whereunto we all that believe in Christ are called, to sup
with him. Rev. 3:20. For, as Christ himself says, Luke 12:37: Blessed
are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching:
verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit
down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. Matthew 24:46.
Hence, my dear wife and sister in the Lord, always be of good cheer,
comfort yourself with the words of the Lord, and be patient and
resigned in that which the Lord has ordered concerning you. Though he
now comes to visit you with tribulation, suffering or poverty, think
that Christ, when he was rich, for our sakes became poor, that through
his poverty he might make rich us who were poor. 2 Cor. 8:9. And James,
also, says, that God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith,
and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him.
James 2:5.
O my dear wife, think of old Tobit; when all his goods had been taken
from him, and he had to flee with his wife and his son, he said: “And
fear not, my son; true, we are poor, but we shall have much wealth, if
we fear the Lord, keep his commandments, shun sin, and do good.” Tobit
1:20; 4:21.
Hence, my much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, Christ also says in
the Gospel: “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that
have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall
fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast body and
soul into hell.” Luke 12:4,5. And in another place: “Fear not, little
flock; for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Verse 32. And the prophet Isaiah also says: “Fear not men, nor the
children of men, who must perish like grass; for all flesh is as grass;
and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the
grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord abideth
forever.” Is. 51:12; 40:6,8.
Further, my dear and greatly beloved wife and sister in the Lord, be
pleased to know, that it was a great joy for me to hear that you were
of such good cheer in your tribulation, and that you have committed
us four to the Lord; wherefore I rejoice, and pray the Lord from the
heart, that he would strengthen and stablish you, and give you his
divine Spirit for a Comforter and Guide, since now is the time of which
Christ said (Matt. 24:24), that many false prophets and false Christs
should arise, yea, that even the very elect, if it were possible,
should be led into error.
Therefore, my dear and much beloved wife, take good heed, that no
robber deceive you by philosophy and vain deceit, after the rudiments
of the world; and that you may not have labored in vain, but may
receive your reward, so that no man may take your crown. Hence have
your conversation always in heaven, from whence we look for our Savior,
Christ Jesus our Lord; who shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body. Philip. 3:20,21. Herewith I will
commend you, my dear and much beloved wife, and both my children, to
the Lord, and bid you farewell, until we shall meet hereafter, where
men shall part us no more; for the apostle says, that the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the
archangel; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1
Thess. 4:16,17): then men shall not part us. O my most beloved wife and
sister in the Lord, I herewith bid you adieu, and commend you to the
Lord, and to the word of his grace; and may the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, rule in your heart. Adieu, my dear wife, and
greet much them that inquire after me, especially my brother, and bid
him adieu, adieu. O adieu, my dear and much beloved wife. Jan Koopman
and Hansken greet you most heartily, and also bid you adieu. Amen.
THE THIRD LETTER OF JAN VAN HASEBROECK.
The abundant grace, peace and mercy from God the heavenly Father,
through Jesus Christ his dear and much beloved Son our Lord, be
multiplied unto you, with the power and communion of the Holy Ghost;
may he strengthen, comfort and stablish you in the inner man, so that
you may be able to stand firm and immovable in his truth to the end of
your life, to his praise and to the salvation of your soul; this I wish
you my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, as a cordial
and friendly greeting. Amen.
After all heartfelt greetings, my dear and much beloved wife, be
pleased to know that I am reasonably well yet according to the flesh,
the Lord be praised forever for his grace; and my mind is still
unchanged to go on in that which I unworthy one declared and confessed
in his name. I also hope to seal the same with my blood, and I trust
that the Lord will help me in my last extremity; for Paul says (Heb.
2:18), in that he himself hath suffered [being tempted,] he is able
to succor them that are tempted. O my dear and much beloved wife, be
pleased to know that I was partly rejoiced, and partly grieved, when
I heard how it is with you. For on account of your sickness I was
sorrowful; but when I heard again, that you were of such good cheer in
your tribulation and suffering, I greatly rejoiced, and thanked the
Lord for his great grace and compassion. And I humbly beseech him from
the depth of my heart, through Jesus Christ his dear Son, that he would
comfort, strengthen and stablish you, and always guide you into his
truth, to the end of your life. O my dear and much beloved wife, always
be of good cheer, and think that we must through much tribulation
and suffering enter into the kingdom of God, like all the pious and
godfearing men that lived before our time, as Paul tells us (Heb. 11),
that they suffered mockings, scourgings, and stoning, yea, bonds and
imprisonment, and died by the sword, yea, suffered distress and want:
they went in sheepskins and goatskins, wandering about in deserts; and
had to hide in caves of the earth. Therefore, my dear lamb, rejoice
with all the pious, of whom Paul says, that they took joyfully the
spoiling of their goods, and that all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2 Tim. 3:12. For Christ himself says:
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have
kept my saying, they will keep yours also. Yea, if they have called the
master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of
his household? John 15:20; Matthew 10:25.
O my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord, though the Lord
come to visit us with tribulation and suffering, Paul says, that it is
given unto us, not only to believe on his name, but also to suffer for
it; and as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation
also aboundeth by Christ. Philip. 1:29; 2 Cor. I:5. O my dear and much
beloved wife, receive willingly the chastening of the Lord; for he
chasteneth every one whom he loveth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but
grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yielded the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Heb. 12:6,11.
O my dear and much beloved wife, herewith I will commend you to the
Lord, and kindly ask you from the depth of my heart, that you would
always do the best with my two little lambs, as I also trust that you
will do, as you sent me word. Nevertheless, I kindly ask you, that if
the Lord should spare you until they attain to their understanding,
that you would instruct them in the obedience of the truth; and always
associate with them that fear God, so that at the last day we and
they may stand together on the Lord’s right hand, and hear his voice:
“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.”
O my dear and much beloved wife and sister in the Lord! Herewith I
commend you to the Lord Almighty, and to the word of his grace, and bid
you adieu, my dear wife, adieu, and the peace of the Lord be with you
and all them that fear him. Jan Koopman and Hansken greet you much;
and Jan Koopman greets his wife much; he and Hansken are also of good
cheer. Amen.
Written by me JAN VAN HASEBROECK, your husband and weak brother in the
Lord.
DIRK ANDRIESS, A. D. 1569.
Dirk Andriess, a pious and godfearing brother, was apprehended at
Zierickzee, A. D. 1569; and as he, in all temptations and sufferings,
firmly adhered to the love of Christ, he was finally sentenced to death
as a heretic, and thus, in order to follow Christ, who had died a
bitter death for him, he also gladly for the Lord’s sake delivered up
his temporal life to death, to enter with him into life eternal. Matt.
25:46.
JACOB DE ROORE, OR THE CHANDLER, AND HERMAN VAN VLECKWICJK, BOTH BURNED
ALIVE AT THE STAKE, AT BRUGES, IN FLANDERS, FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS
CHRIST, THE 10TH OF JUNE, A. D. 1569.
The very pleasant and favored country of Flanders, in and about the
year 1569, was as a dreadful den of murderers, in which they did not
hesitate to put to death the chosen friends and followers of Jesus
Christ, yea, to deprive them little by little of life in the most awful
and horrible manner, namely, by fire, to the sorrow and grief of many,
who living at that time beheld it with weeping eyes. This appeared,
among many others, in two valiant heroes, and champions of Jesus
Christ. One of them was named Jacob de Roore, or the Chandler; he was
a teacher in the church, and a very godfearing, intelligent, kind, and
eloquent man, who was not afraid at the peril of his life to lead and
feed, the flock of Jesus in the green meadows of the true evangelical
doctrine, though it was in forests and wildernesses. The name of the
other was Herman van Vleckwijck; he was a common member, but possessed
nevertheless no small gifts.
These were both brought prisoners into Bruges, one of the Flemish
cities, where they had to endure many hard and severe temptations from
the papists, who sought to make them apostatize from the faith; but as
they were founded upon the immovable corner stone, Christ Jesus, the
edifice of their faith also remained firm, and they could by no means
be moved or swerved therefrom. Hence the rulers at said place, through
the instigation of the Romish so called spirituality (clergy) concluded
their process, and delivered them both from life to death, to be burned
to ashes at the stake, which was done on the 10th day of the month
of June, A. D. 1569. Concerning this the following verses have been
composed:
“In fifteen hundred and sixty-nine,
On the tenth of June, in the city of Bruges,
Encircled wholly by fiery flames,
With intrepid spirit, both Jacob and Herman.
Did testify before all the world
To the word of God, which they sealed with their heart’s blood,
And thus their sacrifice they did bring
To the mighty God that inhabiteth heaven.”
Of these two offered up children of God, two disputations are extant,
which a certain monk, called Friar Cornelis held with them at said
place, and which, because of the wise, intelligent and prudent answers
of said two friends, are well worthy to be added here.
DISPUTATION BETWEEN JACOB DE KEERSGIETER AND MR. FRIAR CORNELIS, A
FRANCISCAN MONK; IN THE PRESENCE OF MR. JAN VAN DAMME, RECORDER, AND
MR. MICHIEL HOUWAERT, CLERK OF THE CRIMINAL COURT, ON THE 9TH OF MAY,
A. D. 1569.[306]
[306] The following two disputations, the first between Jacob de
Roore, or Jacob Keersgieter, and Friar Cornelis, and the second
between Herman Vlekwijck and the same Fr. Cornelis, were not given
in Van Braght’s first edition of 1660, which we made the standard in
our translation, but was added in the subsequent editions. Van Braght
refers to these disputations and says that he omitted them on account
of the indelicate and harsh language which frequently occurs in the
remarks of the impolite Friar. We have omitted the worst of these
expressions and have indicated the omissions thus * * *
There are also a number of accounts of martyrs, not given in the
edition of 1660, but inserted in the subsequent editions, which are
also given in this translation.--PUBLISHERS.
_Friar Cornelis._ Well, I’ve come here to see whether I can convert
you (Jacob, I believe, is your name) from your false and evil belief,
in which you are erring, and whether I cannot bring you back to the
Catholic faith of our mother, the holy Roman church, from which you
have apostatized to this damnable Anabaptism. What do you say to this,
eh?
_Jacob._ With your permission, as regards that I have an evil,
false belief, this I deny; but that through the grace of God I have
apostatized from your Babylonian mother, the Roman church, to the
members, or the true church, of Christ this I confess; and thank God
for it, who has said: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Rev.
18:4; Is. 52:11.
_Fr. Corn._ Is it true? And do you call our mother the holy Roman
church, the whore of Babylon? And do you call your hellish, devilish
sect of Anabaptists the members, or the true church of Christ? Eh! hear
this fine fellow once. Who the devil has taught you this! your accursed
Menno Symons, I suppose, * * *
_Jac._ With your permission, you talk very wickedly. It was not
necessary that Menno Symons should have taught us as something new,
that the Babylonian whore signifies your mother, the Roman church,
since John teaches us enough concerning this in his Apocalypse, or
Revelation, in the 14th, 16th, 17th, and 18th chapters.
_Fr. Corn._ Ah bah! what do you understand about St. John’s Apocalypse?
at what university did you study? At the loom, I suppose; for I
understand that you were nothing but a poor weaver and chandler,
before you went around preaching and rebaptizing out here in the
Gruthuysbosch. I have attended the university at Louvain, and studied
divinity so long, and yet I do not understand anything at all about St.
John’s Apocalypse; this is a fact.
_Jac._ Therefore Christ thanked his heavenly Father, that he had
revealed and made it known to babes, and hid it from the wise of this
world, as is written, Matt. 11:25.
_Fr. Corn._ Exactly; God has revealed it to the weavers at the loom, to
the cobblers on their bench, and to bellows-menders, lantern-tinkers,
scissors-grinders, broom-makers, thatchers, and all sorts of riff-raff,
and poor, filthy, and lousy beggars. And to us ecclesiastics who have
studied from our youth, night and day, he has concealed it. Just see
how we are tormented. You Anabaptists are certainly fine fellows to
understand the holy Scriptures; for before you are rebaptized, you
can’t tell A from B, but as soon as you are baptized, you can read and
write. If the devil and his mother have not a hand in this, I do not
understand any thing about you people.
_Jac._ I can well hear that you do not understand our way of doing; for
you ascribe to Satan the grace which God grants our simple converts,
when we with all diligence teach them to read.
_Fr. Corn._ See here once; these heretics presume to have the grace of
God, and regard our mother, the holy Catholic Roman church as the whore
of Babylon--is this not a fine grace of God? Ah, bah! you have the
grace of the very devil of hell. What shall I say in regard to this? If
you regard our mother, the holy Catholic Roman church as the whore of
Babylon, I can well imagine what you consider our holy father the Pope,
the vicar of God. Let us hear once.